SETTLERS ON THE LAND.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 1701, 17 April 1926, Page 15

SETTLERS ON THE LAND.

DIFFICULTIES OF FINANCE. NINETY PER CENT. SOUND. HIGHER COST OF FARMS. GREAT INCREASE SINCE WAR, The difficulties confronting settlers on the land were referred to by the Hon. A, I). McLeodi, Minister of Lands, in replying to civic welcome accord"at Nelson. He said that as Minister of Lands he was obtaining first-hand knowledge of the land districts under bis charge, and! in this connection,he had travelled 10,030 miles in. the course of twleve months, going into the by-ways and side-ways of the country districts to see for himself the difficulties under which the farmers were working. .Mr McLeod said he knew that thero were difficulties that did not exist fifteen years ago. Re did not ifiteiv] to make any definite pronouncement that day as to the- opinion he had formed, but "lie intended to place before Parliament the difficulties he found in various parts of New Zealand. Since 1921 there had! apparently been an impression among financial jiieii that there was net sufficient security in the land for the advances they had been making, and consequently the financing of men on the land had been a very difficult matter, and Ministers had to be extremely careful that they did not further prejudice the position. He believed that 90 per cent, of the men on the land! were in a sound position, but 10 per cent, were confronted with difficulties. Ho was not going to say that the percentage was going to stay at 10 per cent., unless matters materially improred. Speaking as a farmer, he could say.that the costing of lands to-day was anything between 50 to. 80 per cent, above what it was before the war.

Much .had been said, continued the Minister, abouC deteriorated lands. In (he North.lsland much of this deterioration was caused by inability to pay the cost of the necessary things to put upon the land. Thousands of acres in the North Island were brought into grass at a total cost of £5 per acre, and to-day the same land under the present costing would run into something like £8 or £9 an acre, and as a result costing had got out of hand.